132,583
edits
Changes
From TheBookbag
Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Engagements by J Courtney Sullivan (view source)
Revision as of 13:56, 29 July 2013
, 13:56, 29 July 2013no edit summary
I'll get my quibbles out of the way quickly. I did, on occasion think that I was being lectured - about diamonds, about what paramedics do for instance and whilst it doesn't amount to shoehorning in every last bit of research it did feel over the top. Also, the stories flit back and forth through the years and the attempt to tie them down with references to world news felt contrived and occasionally clumsy. It could have been done with more subtlety.
On the other hand the plot construction is masterly. For about the first third the book didn't ''sing'' to me as I'd expected after reading [[Maine by J Courtney Sullivan|Maine]] then I settled in and enjoyed the stories of the couples - but particularly the true story of Frances Gerety, but it's in the final fifty or so pages that the book really grabbed me and my immediate reaction was that I wanted to turn back to the beginning and start again. It's one of those rare books which will be better on a second reading. I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.
Another (completely different) book which where the story comes from multiple view points which gradually reveal the wider story is the Booker longlisted [[The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan]].
